PURCHASE - Three former NFL players, all members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, were in Purchase on Saturday to speak to middle and high school students.

Darrell Green, Anthony Munoz and Aeneas Williams were at the SUNY Performing Arts Center at Purchase College as part of a nationwide initiative called Strong Youth, Strong Communities, hosted by the Hall of Fame and Centene Corp.

As part of the program, Green, Munoz and Williams discussed bullying and self-esteem and discussed how their own life experiences can help today's young people with their decision-making.

"We don't stand up there and tell them what you should do and what you shouldn't do," Munoz said. "We do some exercises and allow them to start thinking about their lives and what they're going to do.

"Hopefully, they will have those a-ha moments, self-revelations, 'I want to be someone. I want to be successful.' It will allow them to really look at what they are doing in life and make those decisions for themselves."

The program was open to students from STEER for Student Athletes, Port Chester's Carver Center, Boys and Girls Club of New Rochelle and Mount Vernon Youth Community Outreach Program.

Green, 58, the ambassador and founder of SYSC, played cornerback for the Washington Redskins from 1983 to 2002 and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2008. He won two Super Bowls with Washington.

Munoz, 59, played tackle from 1980 to 1992 for the Cincinnati Bengals, and was an 11-time Pro Bowler.

Williams, 50, played cornerback and free safety for the Arizona Cardinals from 1991 to 2000 and for St. Louis from 2001 to 2004.

"It was nice that they had a slow guy with two fast guys," Munoz said with a laugh. "We had two defensive backs and an offensive lineman. I'm honored and thrilled to be teammates with these guys and I'm thankful for the chance to hang out with them."

Munoz said this was the 10th such event the group has done this year nationally.

"Darrell Green said it's like a key to get in the door when it's locked," he said. "The gold jacket is our key. We get a chance to have a captive audience and get to share our stories. We're able to use our platform in a positive way and it's something I absolutely love. This is my 20th year in the Hall of Fame and for the first 16 years, I wore the gold jacket once a year. Now, I wear it a minimum of 10 times for all the programs we do."